The White Buffalo is American musician and singer-songwriter Jake Smith (bo… Read Full Bio ↴The White Buffalo is American musician and singer-songwriter Jake Smith (born in Oregon in 1974/1975, and raised in California).

The White Buffalo is said to be a throwback to the time of hard touring, hard drinking artists who really lived what they sang about. Everything about him is big, from his imposing physical size to his amazing vocal range. He’s as comfortable playing in a dive bar as he is in front of thousands in a European arena.

The White Buffalo released his debut EP, The White Buffalo EP in 2005 to much critical acclaim. His later releases, including his debut album Hogtied Revisited (2009), Prepare for Black & Blue EP (2010) and second album Once Upon a Time in the West (2012) reached similar accliam.

The White Buffalo's song 'Wrong' was featured on the Taylor Steele/Keith Malloy surf movie 'Shelter'.

The White Buffalo joined the Forest Rangers to record a cover of 'House of the Rising Sun' by The Animals for the season 4 finale of Sons of Anarchy.

The Witch
The White Buffalo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She taught them hard
She taught them well
Thirty years, cold as hell
But kids are cruel at the recess bell
Children laugh, children yell

Ding dong the witch is dead

She put them first
Before herself
Self sacrifice she cast her spells
She saw them turn from books and school
Pencils down, the broken rule

Ding dong the witch is dead
Ding dong the witch is dead
Ding dong the witch is dead

Red red rover bring the witch on over
Break the line gonna send her off to hell
Well you know we're gonna slow her on down
Oh it's just as well

And the beat goes on

She taught them hard
She taught them well
Through the years
The cracks they fell
Kids are cruel at the recess bell
Children laugh, children yell

Ding dong the witch is dead

Overall Meaning

The White Buffalo's "The Witch" is a song that showcases the harsh reality of how kids can be cruel to one another. The song revolves around the character of the witch, who is a teacher. For thirty years, she taught her students hard but well. She put her students' needs above her own and sacrificed her life for them. She cast spells for them and saw them lose interest in their studies and books, break the rules and mess around at the school playground. The witch saw that her efforts weren't fruitful as the kids were cruel and laughed at her.

The song takes its inspiration from the story of Roald Dahl's children's novel "The Witches." The song's lyrics are quite poetic and yet easy to understand. The chorus "Ding dong the witch is dead" shows the irony of how the students celebrate the death of the teacher they were cruel to during her life. The line "Red red rover bring the witch on over," is a reference to the popular playground game "Red Rover," where players shout "Red Rover, Red Rover, send so-and-so right over!"

The song also has a musical reference to the Sonny and Cher song "And the Beat Goes On" with the line "And the beat goes on." The song calls attention to the attitude of kids who relish the fact that the witch is no more, and they can continue with their shenanigans without any hindrance. Overall, "The Witch" is a strong commentary on how children can be cruel and insensitive to the struggles of their elders.

Line by Line Meaning

She taught them hard
The witch was a strict teacher, who pushed her students to their limits.

She taught them well
Despite being tough, the witch was an effective teacher who taught her students valuable lessons.

Thirty years, cold as hell
The witch had been teaching for three decades, but was emotionally distant and unapproachable.

But kids are cruel at the recess bell
Despite the witch's efforts, her students were still unkind to each other during recess.

Children laugh, children yell
The students were noisy and disruptive, even to their teacher's dismay.

Ding dong the witch is dead
The students were overjoyed when they learned that their teacher had died.

She put them first
The witch prioritized her students over her own needs and desires.

Before herself
The witch was selfless and sacrificed her own wellbeing for the sake of her students.

Self sacrifice she cast her spells
The witch's dedication to her students was like a powerful magic spell that influenced their lives.

She saw them turn from books and school
Despite her selflessness, the witch was unable to prevent her students from losing interest in their education.

Pencils down, the broken rule
The students lost their motivation to learn and began to disregard the rules of the classroom.

Red red rover bring the witch on over
The students were eager to play a game that involved pretending the witch was present and sending her to hell.

Break the line gonna send her off to hell
The students wanted to punish the witch for being too strict and unapproachable.

Well you know we're gonna slow her on down
The students gloated about their impending revenge and enjoyed making the witch suffer.

Oh it's just as well
The students were indifferent to the witch's death and saw it as a convenient solution to their problems in school.

And the beat goes on
Life continued as normal after the witch's death, and the students continued to be noisy and disruptive during recess.

Through the years
Over time, the witch's effectiveness as a teacher declined and her students began to lose interest in learning.

The cracks they fell
Despite the witch's best efforts, her students' motivation and discipline began to falter.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jacob Aaron Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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